Tales of FangClan
by LiterateChick
Summary: The tales, pun utterly intended, of four clans, but not the ones you're used to reading about. Can OC stand for Original Clan plz? - Rating subject to change, maybe.
1. In the nursury

_**A/N: This is a story about a clan of cats called FangClan, in case you haven't figured it out from the title and summary. I hope you like it...**_

_Chapter 1, In the nursery. _

Icekit woke to the sound of rain. The heavy drops were hitting the nursery roof with loud plunking noises. She could hear her siblings moving beside her, could smell them and her mother. Icekit was the youngest and smallest of three kits. Blackkit was the oldest, and Skykit the middle. Their mothers name was Redflower. Blackkit and Skykit were already up and nursing. Icekit wriggled around until she was facing her mothers stomach, and started to nurse as well. She was only half a week old, and had just started to comprehend the world around her. Her siblings, her mother, the nursery, and her entire clan were completely new to her. She wondered what she would learn today.

"Good morning my kits." Redflower whispered in Icekit's ear.

"Good morning, mother." Blackkit squeaked. She had started talking first, and new more words then her siblings. "What shall we learn today?"

"Today you shall meet the other cats and kits in the nursery." Redflower said.

"Wait," Skykit said hesitantly, "there are _more _cats in the nursery? How big is it?"

Redflower laughed quietly. "Bigger then you think, little one." There was suddenly a sound to Icekit's right, and she jumped to the left. Redflower laughed again. "That's just Spottedkit." She said, "She's Lionsky's kit."

"Lionsky?"

"Lionsky is a queen, Blackkit." Redflower explained. "She has two kits. Spottedkit, and Mosskit. They almost a moon older then you." Icekit heard a soft mew to her right, and guessed that Lionsky was telling her kits something. Something bumped into Icekit's side, and she yelped and jumped away.

"Oops," Said a small male voice, "sorry. I'm Mosskit. I didn't see you there."

"That's okay," Icekit said, "I'm Icekit."

"Hi." Mosskit said, then Icekit heard him stumble back to his mother.

A soft mew came from above Icekit. "Hello," it said, "my name is Goldenclaw."

"Goldenclaw's a queen, but she doesn't have kits yet." Redflower said.

"Where are her kits?" Skykit asked. Icekit thought that was a fair question.

"They're inside her." Redflower said. "They haven't been born yet."

"Oh," Skykit said, though he still sounded confused.

Icekit yawned, and put her head on her paws. Her world had just grown four cats bigger, and she needed a nap to think it over. She snuggled close to her mother, and entered a world full of dreams made up of scents and sounds.

Five months, three weeks later…

Icekit woke up, feeling exited and a bit nervous. She nudged Blackkit and Skykit awake.

"Wake up you guys!" she said, poking her nose into Blackkit's black tabby fur, and Skykit's blue-gray pelt. Once she was sure they were getting up, she sat down and started to clean her own white pelt that was littered with stripes that were the same dark red as her mothers fur.

"Why are we getting up again?" Blackkit asked groggily, "We could probably sleep a bit longer with out anyone caring."

"Because we might be made into apprentices today!" Icekit said. she had been wanting to be made into an apprentice for three weeks now, ever since her and her siblings turned five moons. She knew they weren't supposed to be made apprentices until they were six moons, but she was extra exited to be one rank closer to being a warrior of FangClan.

"Are you really going to be made into apprentices?" said a small voice behind Icekit. She spun around, and saw Dawnkit sitting there, looking up at her.

"Eventually." Icekit said. Dawnkit was so small, it was hard for Icekit to believe she had ever been that tiny. Dawnkit and her brother, Berrykit were the only other kits in the nursery.

"Are you going to leave the nursery?" Berrykit asked, sounding sad.

"Don't worry," Skykit said, "Brightstorm will be in here soon. She's going to be having her kits in a few months."

"And we'll still play with you sometimes." Blackkit said.

"But it wont be the same!" Dawnkit despaired.

"Come on, you two." Goldenclaw said, beckoning her kits over with a flick of her tail. Dawnkit and Berrykit went over to their mother, their tails dragging on the ground.

Icekit, Skykit, and Blackkit came out of the nursery into the sunny clearing of the clan camp. They could see Spottedpaw and Mosspaw sitting in front of the apprentices den. Mosspaw spotted them and flicked his tail slightly in greeting, then went back to talking with his sister. Spottedpaw didn't bother to acknowledge their existence at all. Icekit sighed.

Ever since being made apprentices, Mosspaw and Spottedpaw had become distant. Icekit suspected they thought they wouldn't look good in front of the other apprentices, Jaypaw, Rockpaw, and Stormpaw. Icekit thought all that was ridiculous, Mosspaw and Spottedpaw weren't even a moon older then she was!

"Icekit," Blackkit said, pulling Icekit back into the Clan camp, "Wanna play?" Icekit nodded, she loved a good game. Even though she was still the smallest of her siblings, she often beat them. Blackkit pounced on her, and they started to roll around in the grass, snarling and biting gently, pawing each other with sheathed claws. Skykit jumped into the game, and soon they got a bit carried away, chasing each other all the way across the clearing to the elders den. They didn't notice where they were headed until they landed in a heap at Scar-Nose's feet.

"What do you think your doing?" He snarled. The three kits leaped to there feet, looking up at Scar-Nose with apprehension.

"P-playing, sir." Skykit said, his head bowed. Scar-Nose scowled, leaning close.

"I'd be more careful if I were you," he said menacingly, the huge scar across the ridge of his nose standing out against his dark gray fur, "I don't like kits who interrupt my morning grooming."

"S-sorry, sir." Blackkit stuttered, it took a lot to make her nervous. "It-it won't h-happen again, sir." Then the three siblings rushed off, their heads down and their tails trailing behind them. Because they ran off so quick, they didn't see Honeybadger go up to Scar-nose, and didn't hear what she asked him.

"Why do you insist on scaring kits, Scar-Nose?" Asked the young warrior.

"Sometimes they need a little, encouragement to be respectful." He said, snickering to himself, and going back into the elders den.


	2. The Clan Meeting

_**A/N: Hi. Hope you like my newest chapter. Reveiw and tell meh! Constructive criticism**_

_**is always welcome. **_

_**Chapter 2, The Clan meeting. **_

Icekit stopped outside the nursery, panting. "That," she said, "was close."

"What was close?" someone asked behind her. She spun around, and found herself looking at a huge, white warrior.

"Daddy!" she cried, nuzzling her father.

"Hey, Snowpelt!" a grey tabby warrior called, standing by the entrance to the camp, "You coming or what?"

"Yeah," Snowpelt called back, "I'll be right there!" He turned back to his kits. "Sorry," he said, "I'm on border patrol. I'll be back this afternoon, in time for the Clan meeting." He looked proudly at Blackkit and Skykit, then raced away towards the grey warrior, and they both slipped out of the camp. Skykit turned to his sisters.

"What do you think he means, 'I'll be back in time for the Clan meeting.'" He asked them, "How dose he know there's gonna be a meeting tonight?" Blackkit couldn't guess the answer, and Icekit, who had, was feeling put out, so she didn't say anything. They went back to the nursery, where their mother was eating a fat mouse.

"Hello, my kits." Redflower said, making room for them at the mouse she was eating. It had a lot of meat on it, and easily fed all four cats. It was leafgreen, after all. "Have you groomed yourselves today?" she asked. The kits nodded. "Well it doesn't look like you did." Redflower said, giving her kits a critical eye.

"Well," Blackkit said licking her lips, "we did play fight this morning. That probably messed up our fur." Redflower laughed, then started sharing tongues with Skykit. As they told their mother about their day, she licked Blackkit and Skykit clean. She seemed to be cleaning them with renewed purpose today, and more then once Blackkit complained about Redflower pulling her fur.

"What's with the super cleaning, mom?" Skykit asked.

"Oh," Redflower answered, "I just want you to look nice." Redflower kept her eyes on her oldest kits the rest of the day, trying to keep them neat, something she had never done before.

Later that day, after nearly everyone was back at camp, the leader, Shinestar, leaped up on the Highrock, and called to the Clan, "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highrock for a clan meeting!" All the cats started to gather around the Highrock, looking up expectantly at their leader.

"Come on," Redflower said, beckoning her oldest kits with her tail, "you two as well." Blackkit and Skykit looked at each other, then at Icekit, questioning looks on their faces.

"Why do we have to go?" Skykit wondered.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Icekit said angrily. Her siblings shook their heads. Icekit groaned. "You two are going to be made apprentices." She grumbled. Blackkit looked at Skykit, an exited, nervous expression on her face. Skykit looked about the same.

"Blackkit! Skykit!" Their mother called, beckoning them again. The two kits raced off, leaving Icekit lying in the entrance of the nursery, looking over at her siblings enviously. Dawnkit, Berrykit and Goldenclaw came to the entrance as well, to watch the clan meeting.

"Where are Blackkit and Skykit?" Dawnkit asked.

"They're going to be made apprentices. You'll have to call them Blackpaw and Skypaw now." Icekit said grudgingly.

"Really?" Berrykit said in awe, "Wow!"

By then the entire Clan had gathered at the Highrock, and Shinestar started talking.

"We are gathered here today," she said in her regal voice, "to name two apprentices. Blackkit, Skykit, come up here." Blackkit and Skykit went up to the front, looking nervous. "From now on," Shinestar continued, looking down at Blackkit, "until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Blackpaw." Blackpaw's face lit up as she heard her apprentice name. "Honeybadger," Shinestar called to the golden and black she-cat, "you are ready for your first apprentice. You will begin Blackpaw's training. You were taught well by Tigermask. I expect you to pass on everything you know to this young cat."

Honeybadger walked forwards, and touched noses with Blackpaw. Icekit felt her envy boiling inside her. Honeybadger had been taught by the clan deputy! But Icekit also felt pride for her sister for getting such a good mentor.

Shinestar looked down at Skykit now, and started to speak again. "This apprentice," she said, "Shall be known as Skypaw." Skypaw looked excited, and mouthed his apprentice name. "Snowpelt," Shinestar said, looking over at Icekit's father, "You have taught two very successful warriors, and now you shall teach another. I expect you to tell everything you know to this apprentice."

Snowpelt walked proudly forward, and touched noses with Skypaw, whose eyes were shining with his luck at getting his father for a mentor. Icekit looked at them, finding it hard to be too mad, but also finding it had to be completely happy for her siblings.

The entire clan went up to Blackpaw and Skypaw now, calling them by their new names. Icekit noticed that Spottedpaw and Mosspaw were in the throng, talking with the two new apprentices. Icekit looked on sadly, wondering why her friends were talking to her brother and sister now when they hardly noticed them just that morning, and wondered if her own siblings would start to ignore her now that they were apprentices to.


	3. New Apprentices

_**A/N: Hey. Here is the next chapter. I'm gonna try to update every Thursday from now on…**_

_**Chapter 3, New apprentices**_

Skypaw looked around at the cats surrounding him and calling him by his new name. He felt proud that he was an apprentice. Just then he saw Spottedpaw and Mosspaw coming up to him and his sister.

"Hey, Blackpaw, Skypaw." Spottedpaw said, "Ready to be apprentices?"

"What," Skypaw was scowling at Spottedpaw, "now that we're apprentices we're cool enough to talk to again?"

Spottedpaw looked shocked at his reaction, then raised her nose. She smirked, and stalked away. "C'mon, Blackpaw, Mosspaw. Let's go get some fresh kill." Blackpaw walked after her, looking sheepishly back at Skypaw, but Mosspaw stayed behind.

"Sorry about Spottedpaw," he said, "I know how she can be, difficult. I'm sure she'll forget all about it later. And," Mosspaw looked down at his paws, "sorry I ignored you to. That was stupid of me."

Skypaw glared at him for a moment, then said, "That was stupid of you. But I suppose I can't stay mad at you forever." Mosspaw looked up, and Skypaw gave him a small smile. "C'mon," Skypaw said, "let's go talk to Icekit.

Icekit was sitting out side the nursery, looking over at Blackpaw and Spottedpaw eating. Blackpaw looked a little uncomfortable, probably because she left Skypaw over near the high rock. Jaypaw came to join them, and they all started talking. Jaypaw was much bigger then Blackpaw or Spottedpaw, and she would probably become a warrior sooner then Icekit would become an apprentice. Icekit sighed.

"Hey," An apologetic voice sounded above Icekit's head. She looked up to see Mosspaw standing over her, looking down at his light brown paws. "Sorry I ignored you, that was pretty dumb."

"Yeah," she agreed ice in her voice, "it was." She got up and stalked away, into the nursery. Mosspaw watched her go, and Skypaw tried to convince him that she wasn't too mad at him. His argument didn't sound convincing.

"At least you apologized," he said half-heartedly, "she'll forgive you eventually." Mosspaw just sighed and walked over to the apprentice's den. Skypaw followed.

Blackpaw looked around her new den. It was a little crowded, because there were seven apprentices. But three of them would be turned into warriors soon, and then it would open up. She looked around for an empty bed, and found one by the entrance, beside Spottedpaw. As soon as she got settled in, Skypaw came into the den.

"Found a bed by you're new best friend, did you?" He said, looking down at her. She looked at him beseechingly, but said nothing.

"Hey," Mosspaw said, coming into the den, "there's an empty bed next to mine, you want it Skypaw?"

"Yeah," Skypaw said, still looking at Blackpaw, "yeah I'll take it." And he walked off.

Spottedpaw snorted. "What a jerk." She whispered, loud enough for Skypaw to hear.

"Hey," Blackpaw said defensively, "that's my brother you're talking about."

"Oh, well, sorry." Spottedpaw said, "It's just, how is it his business who you hang out with? That's all I meant." Blackpaw didn't say anything, but she turned her back to Spottedpaw, and tried to go to sleep. She was starting to miss her mother, but she was determined not to show it. She put her head on her paws, and closed her eyes.

Icekit joined her mother in the nursery. She was tired, and ready to sleep.

"Hi, mother." She said, snuggling close to Redflower.

"Hello, Icekit."

"Hey, mom…"

"Yes?"

"Why did Blackpaw and Skypaw get to be apprentices, and not me?"

"Sometimes that happens, little one. It happened to me and my brother."

"Really?"

"Yes." Redflower stretched out her front paws, and put her head close to Icekit's. "I had three older siblings. One sister, and two brothers." She said, "My oldest siblings got to be apprentices first, and my other brother and I were not very happy about that."

"I bet you weren't." Icekit said, remembering her envy of her siblings.

"But," Redflower went on, "within just a few days, we were made into apprentices. So don't be mad at Blackpaw and Skypaw, its not there fault, after all."

Icekit grunted, and turned her head away from her mother. "It's not Skypaw and Blackpaw I'm mad at." She mumbled.


	4. Full Moon

_A/N: Okay, forget what I said last time. I'll update when I very well feel like it. TAKE THAT ORDERLY…um…THINGS!_

_**Chapter 4, Full Moon.**_

Just two days later, the moon was full and some of the cats were off to the Gathering. Icekit was sitting outside the nursery, staring gloomily up at the silver sphere.

"What's the matter?"

Icekit spun around to see Mosspaw coming up to her nervously. She glared at him. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you would be at the Gathering, with all the other apprentices and warriors."

"Lionsky, Thornfur, Snowpelt, Tigermask, Shinestar, Squirreltail, Mouseshadow, Hawkface, Honeybadger, Leopardheart, Blackpaw, Skypaw, Spottedpaw, Jaypaw, Rockpaw and Stormpaw." Mosspaw named half the Clan like he had worked for weeks memorizing them.

"Yeah," Icekit said grudgingly, "I thought you would be with all of them."

Mosspaw looked at her sheepishly. "So did I," he said, "but I got in trouble today. I accidentally put some wet moss in the elders den, so they didn't let me go."

"Who, the elders?" Icekit didn't know they had the authority to do something like that.

"No, Shinestar." Mosspaw was scuffing the ground with his paw. He looked embarrassed. If Icekit wasn't mad at him, she probably would have dropped it.

But she was.

"You got in that much trouble for just putting some wet moss in the elders den?" She said mockingly, "Wow, it must have been really soaked. How could you not have noticed that it was wet?" She smirked at him, daring him to answer.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just didn't. Now, are you going to tell me why you were looking at the moon just now like you were going to murder it?" Mosspaw looked at her inquisitively.

_Hmm, _she thought, _change the subject. Very sneaky. _"Take a wild guess." she said sadly, putting her head on her paws.

"You're mad cause you're not going to the Gathering?" Mosspaw lied down next to her.

"Wow," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I didn't think you would ever guess. Of course I'm mad! I should be at the Gathering tonight!"

"Yeah, you should," Mosspaw said comfortingly, "but so should I. I'm not that mad." Icekit glared at him.

"At least you're an apprentice." She told him, "You can go hunting, and practice actual fighting moves, and go on border patrol. I don't even get to change the moss in the elders den. Which, I'd like to add, I could do better then you, apparently."

Mosspaw laughed. "Yeah, you probably could." They sat in silence for a bit, then Mosspaw spoke, "You know, I _am_ really sorry about ignoring you like that. I was a jerk, and you're probably right to be mad."

Icekit sighed. "I'm not mad," she admitted to herself as much as Mosspaw, "just frustrated. I really wanted to be an apprentice."

"You will be one, eventually." Mosspaw nudged her paw with his. "I better go to sleep now." He said, getting up. "I have hunting practice first thing tomorrow. There's something for you to be thankful for, no early morning practice!" he walked off to the apprentices den. Icekit just lay there for a while, smiling into the dark, happy that Mosspaw and her were friends again.


	5. The Thunderpath

_**A/N: Okay, I know you're out there reading this, (that's right, I can see through the computer screen!) so review, before I send rabid dogs to your house! Or something not as crazy and eccentric… But you never know what I'll come up with…**_

Chapter 5, The Thunderpath

The next morning, Icekit had a hard time waking up. She was tired from staying up waiting for her siblings to come back. When they did, Icekit tried to ask them about everything, but didn't get many straight answers.

"What did it look like?" She had asked.

"Four huge rocks, covered with cats, with a rock half the size of the others in the center." Blackpaw said, yawning.

"What did the leaders look like?"

"Like our leader, I suppose." Skypaw answered unhelpfully. "Big and important. I can't remember their names."

Icekit eventually gave up and went to sleep. She dreamed of going to FourRocks with her brother and sister.

When she woke up, her mother had already left. She stepped into the clearing, and saw that she had slept way passed morning. It was nearing sunhigh already.

Over at the apprentice's den, Icekit watched as Blackpaw and Skypaw ate, then went out through the entrance of the clearing. Icekit followed them out, and then waited till they were out of site. She was going to try and track them.

After Blackpaw and Skypaw were completely out of site, and Icekit couldn't hear them at all, she lowered her head and sniffed. She immediately picked up her siblings scent. It was a scent she had grown up with, and she could have named it anywhere.

Icekit followed the scent into the trees, through the forest, and into a clearing she had never visited. She wasn't too worried about getting back; she figured she would just follow her sibling's scent back to the entrance of the Clan camp. Right now, she wanted to know about the clearing Blackpaw and Skypaw had led her into.

After hearing voices, Icekit quickly scrambled up a tree. She didn't want to be discovered this far from the camp. Looking down into the clearing, she recognized Blackpaw, Skypaw, and their mentors.

"Now," Honeybadger was saying to Blackpaw, "how is a mouse different from a rabbit when you're hunting?"

Blackpaw sighed. It was obvious that she had heard this before. "A rabbit will hear you coming but a mouse will feel your steps before it even hears you." She said in one breath.

"Exactly." Honeybadger said. "You need to work on your mouse-stalking technique." Blackpaw sighed, but crouched into a hunting position, and snuck up on an invisible mouse. Icekit turned her attention to Skypaw and Snowpelt.

"What are we doing today?" Skypaw asked, jumping around his mentor. He was obviously very exited.

"We're patrolling the borders." Snowpelt said. "I know we did that already, but it won't do any harm to refresh your memory." Skypaw nodded solemnly and bounded out of the clearing. Snowpelt followed, going slower, and shaking his head good-humouredly at his apprentice's enthusiasm.

Icekit climbed down from the tree, and decided she had better get back to the Camp. Her mother would start to worry. She found her siblings scent again, weaker then it was before, but still noticeable, and followed it away from the clearing.

As she followed, she came to a spot where the smell branched off in two different directions. She didn't remember this from when she had come here first, but that didn't mean it hadn't been there. She followed the stronger scent.

After a few minutes, the smell of her brother was replaced by a stronger, unfamiliar scent. Icekit raised her head and sniffed hard, and still didn't pick up anything but the hard, dirty smell she had come across. Curious as to what could make such an awful smell, Icekit pushed her way through two large bushes. What lay in front of her scared her, but inflamed her curiosity even more.

It was a long, black patch of hard-looking earth. It looked like nothing Icekit had seen in her life, and she creped slowly closer. The filthy smell hit her nose with such a force that she nearly gagged, but she kept going towards the patch of earth. When she got to the edge, she looked to one side, then to the other, and saw that the path stretched as far as she could see in both directions. Cautiously, Icekit reached out with her paw, and touched the black ground. It was hard and hot, and she took her paw away immediately. She didn't like her new discovery.

Suddenly, there was a sound like none Icekit had ever heard. It was a roaring so loud, she was sure that it was the loudest thing the world had ever known. She crouched down and laid her ears flat against her head, but the sound still wormed its way into her ears and nearly deafened her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and just as she was sure whatever was making the sound would bear down on her, something grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and dragged her away from the black patch. She didn't struggle. Awful smelling wind snatched at her fur, knocking her to her side. She just lay there until the sound had disappeared into the distance, leaving her very shaken. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"What were you thinking?!" Someone shouted above her. Very slowly, Icekit looked up, and saw the green-blue eyes of Lionsky looking angrily down at her.

"S-sorry," Icekit stuttered, still very shaken, "I d-didn't know that thing would come!"

"Well, you're very lucky I decided to patrol the Thunderpath border, or you could have been killed!" Lionsky looked angry for a second more, then her look softened into one of relief. "Thank StarClan you're okay." She muttered.

"What was that thing?" Icekit looked nervously towards the black ground, the Thunderpath.

"Come on," Lionsky seemed anxious to get back into the forest, "lets go back to the camp, I'll tell you on the way."

Icekit was too shaky still to move on her own, so she leaned up against Lionsky on her way back. "What was that thing?" Icekit muttered, looking behind her.

"A Monster." Lionsky said grimly.

Icekit shivered. "A Monster?" She squeaked, hardly louder then a mouse. "Why was it there?"

"That was the Thunderpath." Lionsky told her, "That's the Monsters territory. You shouldn't have been anywhere near there." The angry tone was back in her voice.

"I'm sorry," Icekit said, looking down at her paws, "I was just tracking Blackpaw and Skypaw. Then I tried to follow their scent back to the camp, but it branched off, and the one I followed led me here!"

"You shouldn't have even been following your siblings. It's no wonder you got lost…"

"But I didn't get lost!" Icekit said, looking up at Lionsky for the first time since the Thunderpath, "I found Blackpaw and Skypaw in a clearing, training!"

Lionsky looked down at her, looking slightly shocked. "You followed them to the training clearing?" she asked. Icekit wasn't sure what she meant, but she nodded anyway. "That's far from the Camp," Lionsky muttered, thinking.

They didn't talk all the way back to camp, but when they did get back, Redflower rushed to meet them. She looked mad, to put it lightly.


	6. Icekit's Hero

_**A/N: In this chapter I've introduced a new character based on my own cat! Try and guess which one, winner gets free virtual pie! As long as you leave a review in the process… **_

_**Chapter 6, Icekit's Hero. **_

"Where have you been?" Redflower said, looking worried and angry.

"She followed her siblings this morning," Lionsky explained, "and ended up at the Thunderpath."

Redflower glared down at Icekit, who looked down at her paws in shame. "I'm sorry, mother." She said quietly.

Redflower glared for a bit longer, then her gaze softened. "Well, I suppose curiosity has to be expected in kits." She said, "And no real harm done." Icekit looked up.

"You mean I'm not in trouble?" She asked hopefully.

"Not right now," Redflower looked fondly down at her kit, "but you better leave before I change my mind." Icekit nodded solemnly and rushed off.

"She's a good kit." Lionsky said.

"Yeah," Redflower looked after Icekit, "thanks for getting her home."

The golden she-cat nodded, "Not a problem. She really is a good kit." Lionsky suddenly thought of something. "I have to talk to Shinestar." She said quickly.

"Okay," Redflower said, looking around, "I had better go see where Icekit has gone off to before she ends up getting herself into more trouble." With that the dark red queen walked off.

"Shinestar?"

"Yes?" The questioning meow came from Shinestar's den, a dark hollow inside a clump of dirt at the base of the Highrock.

"It's Lionsky, can I talk to you?"

"Yes, come in."

Lionsky carefully entered the dark den, and saw Shinestar sitting at the far end, eating a vole.

"Hello, Lionsky." She said, "Care to join me?"

"No thank you," Lionsky stayed standing at the entrance to the den. Meeting with Shinestar always made her nervous. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Well then, ask away."

"Um, well," Shinestar glared at Lionsky, obviously waiting for her to get to the point, "you know the kit, Icekit?"

"Ahh yes," Shinestar nodded, "the one you saved from the Thunderpath." Lionsky looked at the leader questioningly. Shinestar just smiled. "You of all cats should know that word gets around this Camp faster then in any of the other Clans." Lionsky shifted her feet awkwardly, like she did when anyone mentioned the other Clans.

"Well I was thinking," Lionsky looked around nervously, "well, her siblings are apprentices, and she's still in the nursery, and I was wondering…"

"You were wondering why she wasn't made an apprentice." Lionsky nodded. "Tigermask and I weren't sure she was ready to be made given an apprenticeship yet."

"Wasn't ready?"

Shinestar put on a small smile, "She just seemed too excitable and young to be able to cope with training."

Lionsky suddenly felt the need to say something in defence of the small white and red kit.

"Icekit is a brilliant cat!" She said, "She sniffed out her siblings, and followed them all the way to the clearing with out any training whatsoever!" Shinestar looked at Lionsky with an interested air, but instead of freezing up like she would have normally, Lionsky continued.

"I watched her grow up," she said, "she could sneak up on her siblings easily, and even beat Blackpaw in a play fight once, despite Blackpaw being bigger then both my kits!" Lionsky paused for a moment, seeming to realize what she had just said. "I'm, I'm sorry Shinestar." She murmured, embarrassed at her outburst.

"Well," Shinestar spoke slowly, "it's quite obvious you feel strongly about this, so I shall have to think on the matter." Lionsky nodded, and left the den quickly. She wanted to get back into the sun, and away from the uncomfortable conversation she had just had.

Icekit was sitting outside the nursery, licking the horrible Thunderpath scent from her fur. She looked over to the Camp entrance, just in time to see her brother and sister pushing there way through the ferns that blocked it off from anyone who wasn't a FangClan cat. Icekit jumped up and ran to meet them.

"Hey!" Icekit joined her brother and sister as they made there way to the elders den, freshkill dangling from there jaws, "Guess where I went today?"

"Where?" Blackpaw mumbled around the two mice she was carrying in her mouth.

"Well, first I followed your scent to the training clearing," Icekit started, "then I was going to follow it back, but I got confused and ended up at the Thunderpath!" Blackpaw and Skypaw stared at her, looking dumfounded.

"_You _went to the Thunderpath?" Blackpaw looked impressed. Icekit just nodded.

"I patrolled the Thunderpath today with dad." Skypaw said, "It was pretty scary."

"That must have been the scent I followed!" Icekit said just as they entered the elders den.

"What's this?" Bluesayer asked. The silver-blue she-cat was the oldest of the elders.

"We were just talking about Icekit going to the Thunderpath today by accident." Skypaw said, dropping the bird and squirrel he caught.

"Oh yes, I heard." Bluesayer nodded. "It's a good thing Lionsky was patrolling there, or you might have been lost for a lot longer." Icekit nodded as Blackpaw gave up her two mice.

"Thanks." Scar-Nose muttered, coming up and grabbing one of the mice. He took it into a corner to eat.

"Oh don't mind him." Flowerpelt said, "He's all hiss and no bite." Scar-Nose grunted.

"Well, you had better be getting your own food now." Bluesayer said, "We'll be fine here." Blackpaw, Skypaw, and Icekit nodded, and left the den, heading for the freshkill pile.

"Lionsky saved you at the Thunderpath?" Blackpaw questioned.

Icekit nodded. "She was patrolling, and pulled me away from the edge just as a Monster was running by." She said earnestly.

"Wow," Skypaw muttered, "that must have been really scary." Icekit nodded again. She continued to retell the events of that morning, while her siblings and her shared a meal.

"Redflower!" Squirreltail rushed up to the she-cat, panting, her tail fluffed out like always.

"Yes?" Redflower turned away from her freshkill and looked at the small black and white female with mild interest. Squirreltail often had something interesting to say, even if it was just about a noise she had heard in a bush while on patrol.

"Shinestar wants to see you!" Gasped the little warrior. It was as if she had just ran around the entire Camp, trying to find Redflower, which she probably had. Squirreltail tended to overreact.

"Alright, I'll go see her." Redflower got up and walked towards the leaders den. Squirreltail watched her go, then sighed and flopped onto the grass. She was tired out.

Redflower approached the den, and called into the opening, "You wanted to talk to me, Shinestar?"

"Yes, come in, Redflower." The leader meowed. Redflower entered the den, and Shinestar started to speak.

"It has been brought to my attention that you still have a kit with you."

"Yes, Icekit." Redflower shuffled her paws, Icekit was more then ready to become an apprentice, yet 'kit' was still part of her name.

"Well, I have talked to Tigermask, and we have agreed that it was high time she was made into an apprentice. The ceremony will be held tonight, and I expect you and your kit to be there."

Redflower nodded quickly. "We will be, Shinestar. Thank you." With that, Redflower left the den, fast. She had to find Icekit, she would be so exited!


	7. Icepaw

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait for this chapter, I'm recovering from a awful bought of mild writers block. My brain just went 'whoa, I'm out of ideas!' But I think I've recovered. **_

_**Chapter 7, Icepaw**_

Icekit was sitting in the center of a group of cats, retelling her Thunderpath tale. Well, really it was only the apprentices, but she was still pleased with her sudden fame.

"You were really at the very edge of the Thunderpath?" Jaypaw asked excitedly.

Icekit nodded. "And I would have stayed there if Lionsky hadn't come along when she did."

"Wow," Mosspaw was looking at her with admiration, "that must have been terrifying!"

"Oh it was." Icekit couldn't lie about that. It had been the single most frightening thing that had ever happened to her. "I keep thinking about what the Monster would have done if it saw me and…" Icekit trailed off. Mosspaw and her siblings looked at her with sympathy.

"Well, I don't think it was that fantastic." Spottedpaw said shortly. She had been sitting at the edge of the group, pretending not to listen. This was the first time she had spoken up. "So yo got lost and ended up at the Thunderpath big deal."

Half the other cats glared at her, but she didn't back down.

"I mean, if you hadn't acted out of your place at first, then you wouldn't have gotten yoursel-"

Mosspaw interrupted her, "Acted out of her place?" He said, glaring at his sister, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Spottedpaw looked back at her brother, "Just that, she's a kit, she shouldn't'' have been trying to track her sibl-"

"You know as well as I do that she's most certainly old enough-" Mosspaw started, but Icekit stepped in front of him. She didn't need him to argue for her.

"I may be just a kit," she said, "but I did track Blackpaw and Skypaw to the clearing. I'm not an apprentice yet, but I will be very soon." With that she walked off, leaving the others sitting there, dumbfounded.

As she walked off she heard Rockpaw say, "Man, now we won't hear the end of the story!"

Icekit walked right into Redflower, who was looking proudly down at her.

"Guess what, my kit!" She asked excitedly.

"What?" Icekit looked up at her mother hopefully.

"You're going to be moving into the apprentice's den!" Redflower looked almost as exited at Icekit felt.

"Really?" She squealed, "When?"

"Tonight!" Icekit did a little dance around her mother, who laughed good naturedly at her enthusiasm. "Come now," Redflower said, "you need to be cleaned up!" they moved to in front of the nursery, and Redflower ran her scratchy tongue over Icekit's pelt.

"What's happening?" Dawnkit asked, bounding out of the nursery.

"I'm being made into an apprentice!" Icekit exclaimed. Dawnkit looked almost disappointed.

"You mean you'll be moving out?" She asked.

"Yes!" Icekit couldn't contain her enthusiasm. She was going to be an apprentice!

Lionsky couldn't help but hear the exchange between Icekit and the little blue-grey she-kit. She smiled to herself, feeling glad that Shinestar had decided to make Icekit an apprentice. It was about time! But in some way, Lionsky felt responsible for the white and red kit. Like it was her duty to train her, even though it was unlikely she would ever be trusted enough to be made into a mentor…

The sun was making its way towards the horizon, and Icekit was still waiting for Shinestar to call a Clan meeting. Just as she was beginning to despair that the leader would ever leap up onto the Highrock and gather the Clan, the cry rang though the Camp, "May all cats old enough to catch there own prey gather around the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Icekit leaped up and ran in a few circles to ebb her excitement, then rushed to the edge of the group gathering around the tall stone.

"We are here," Shinestar started, "as some of you may have guessed, to start a young cat's apprenticeship. Icekit, would you…" Shinestar didn't even have to finish her sentence; Icekit was up at the front in a matter of seconds.

"From now on, until she has earned her Warrior name, this cat shall be known as Icepaw." _Icepaw… _She shivered with excitement, and waited anxiously to know who her mentor would be…

Lionsky was sitting at the very back of the group of cats, just beside Squirreltail, as Icekit leaped up to the Highrock.

"It's about time Shinestar made that kit into an apprentice." The smaller cat whispered. Lionsky just nodded. "I bet you get to be her mentor."

"I wouldn't count on it." Lionsky muttered.

"Oh come on," Squirreltail earned an angry look from Snowpelt, who was sitting right in front of them; "you don't still think they don't trust you?" Squirreltail said, lowering her voice.

"Why would they?" Lionsky fell silent, Shinestar was about to name Icekit's, Ice_paw's_ mentor…

Shinestar paused before naming Icepaw's mentor, while the new apprentice sat there wriggling with impatience. She thought of all the warriors in the Clan without apprentices, her mother, Brightstorm, Goldenclaw, Lionsky, and of course Tigermask and Shinestar, though it was very unlikely she would get the leader or deputy. Goldenclaw had kits, and Brightstorm was moving to the nursery any day now. That left Redflower and Lionsky. Shinestar opened her mouth, about to declare Icepaw's mentor…

"Lionsky," the leader said slowly, "you no doubt have been trained well, and I expect you to teach everything you know to this young apprentice." Lionsky came up to the front, a dazed look on her face, and touched noses with Icepaw. The entire Clan was quiet for a moment, then they all started yowling, protesting Shinestar's choice of mentor. Icepaw looked around with confusion at the chaos that had broken the silent ranks.

"Hey!" Shinestar's yowl sounded above the clamour, "This is my decision, if you don't like it, you can answer to me." A few members of the clan muttered at this, but no one voiced a complaint. Without a word, Shinestar leaped down from the rock.

"Why were they so angry?" Icepaw asked quietly.

"They were afraid." Lionsky said it in such a way that it was obvious the conversation was ended. Only half the clan came up to congratulate Icepaw and her apprenticeship, the other half went back to their dens, including Lionsky.


	8. First Day of Training

_**A/N: Okay, so this is arguably my worst chapter yet. It seems I'm not quite over my writers block. Anyway, I forgot last time to say hurrah to FallingSnow14, who correctly guessed that Squirreltail is based of my cat, Snickers. Congratulations, you get free virtual pie! Unfortunately, all I have in the way of virtual pie is liver pie, hope you don't mind! :)  
**_

_**Chapter 8, First Day of Training.**_

Icepaw lie in her new bed in the apprentice's den. The only free one was right beside Skypaw. But Jaypaw, Rockpaw and Stormpaw would no doubt be turned into warriors in no time.

"Hey, Icepaw," Icepaw looked up, Mosspaw was standing directly over her, "how's it feel to be an apprentice?"

"The den's more crowded, but that's pretty much the only difference." Really, Icepaw didn't want to talk much, witch didn't happen to her often. She was worried about Lionsky. Why didn't her other Clan mates like her? She had been a part of the Clan for as long as she could remember, so what gave them the reason not to trust her?

"Hey, what's up?" Icepaw looked up, Skypaw was looking down at her worriedly.

"Nothing, just thinking." Skypaw nodded and lie down in his bed, falling asleep. Eventually, Icepaw drifted off to sleep as well.

The next morning, Icepaw woke up extra early. She was super exited for her first day of training.

After she ate, Icepaw waited for Lionsky at the entrance to the apprentice's den. After a while, Skypaw and Mosspaw joined her.

"Hey." Skypaw sat down beside her, "exited for your first day training?"

"Uh, yeah!" Icepaw squirmed where she was sitting, keeping her eyes on the warrior's den at the moment it was deserted.

"Well, if it isn't the newest apprentice." Spottedpaw came out of the den, Blackpaw close behind.

"What do you want, Spottedpaw." Icepaw asked coldly.

"Nothing, just wanted to ask if you were nervous."

"Why would I be nervous, it's not like I'm going to be made into a warrior on my first day."

"Well, no, obviously not, but you still had better do a good job." Spottedpaw's voice had gained a teasing edge.

"I'll try my best." Icepaw said solemnly.

"You better hope that's good enough." Spottedpaw was standing in front of Icepaw now, who had to lean to the side to keep her eyes on the warrior's den. Honeybadger popped her head out, then came out all the way. "I heard about this one cat, who did really badly on his first day, and they kicked him out of the clan!"

"Where did you hear a dumb thing like that?" Mosspaw scoffed.

"At the gathering. You weren't there, but Blackpaw and me heard some LightningClan apprentice swear it was true! Right, Blackpaw?"

Blackpaw looked down at her paws, and muttered, "Yeah, yeah I heard it."

"Right, whatever." Skypaw snorted with amusement. "What sort of mouse-brain would believe that?"

"You saying I'm mouse-brained, Skypaw?" Spottedpaw asked, sounding as menacing as she could manage.

"I might be." Skypaw said, standing to look Spottedpaw in the face.

"Nock it off, you guys." Jaypaw said, stretching as she came out of the den. "Do you two have to argue every moment of the day?"

Spottedpaw and Skypaw just grumbled, and Spottedpaw walked off to the freshkill pile. Blackpaw followed her meekly.

"What's gotten into Blackpaw?" Icepaw asked, never taking her eyes off the warrior's den. Snowpelt and Thornfur came out together. "Normally she would have gotten right into an argument like that. She hardly said two words."

"She said four." Mosspaw said.

"Three." Skypaw objected, sitting back down.

"Well, three different words, but four words all together." Mosspaw defended. Icepaw looked back and forth, from one tom to another.

"You're both weird." She told them.

Skypaw nodded. "Yup." He said cheerfully. Icekit rolled her eyes. That was when she saw Lionsky come out of the warrior's den.

"I gotta go," She said, jumping up, "see you guys later!" Then she rushed off to her mentor's side.

"What are we going to do today, Lionsky?" Icepaw asked eagerly.

"Today I thought I would show you the Clans territory." Lionsky said. She seemed calmer that day then she had the night before. "But let me eat first."

"Okay, I'll wait for you by the camp entrance." Icepaw raced over to the place where some cats were coming back from border patrol.

"Hi, Icepaw." Squirreltail said, coming into the camp, "First day of training?" Icepaw nodded. "Hey, maybe Mosspaw and me can join you later!" The small cat said. Even though Squirreltail was the smallest warrior in the Clan, Icepaw was still smaller.

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Icepaw said, and Squirreltail walked off to the freshkill pile. Icepaw waited anxiously, shuffling her paws. When would Lionsky finish eating? Finally, after what seemed like ages, Lionsky trotted over to Icepaw.

"Ready for your first day of training?" She asked. Icepaw nodded enthusiastically, and raced out of the camp. Lionsky came up behind her, and watched as she ran around a small tree trunk, talking excitedly to herself.

"I'm going to learn to hunt," she was saying, "and fight and protect my Clan, and I'll be able to go to the Gathering, and go on border patrol and everything!" Lionsky purred with amusement.

"First, before you can do any of that, you need to know the limits of our territory." The older cat said. Icepaw immediately stopped spinning and stood in front of Lionsky, looking very serious. Which was hard to do, as she had gotten herself very dizzy and could hardly see straight.

"C'mon, Lionsky, let's go!" Icepaw wanted to get started.

"All right, let's get going then." And so Icepaw's first lesson started.

First they went behind the Clan Camp to the LightningClan border. Lionsky told Icepaw to sniff, and what Icepaw smelt wasn't that different from her own Clan's scent—probably because they lived in the same forest—but she would never mistake it for her own Clan's smell. The LightningClan border was at the thickest part of the forest, and it looked like it only got thicker from that point on. Icepaw felt sorry for the LightningClan cats, they didn't have hardly any room to run.

After re-scenting the lightning Clan border, Icepaw and Lionsky continued to a spot just north (Lionsky told Icepaw how to tell the directions from the moss that grew on trees) of the camp. There was a strong smell of dirt in that area, and Icepaw scrunched up her nose. She noticed another smell to, but it wasn't cats.

"What is that smell?" She asked.

"Those are the horses." Said Lionsky, "This is where the horseplace starts."

"What are horses?" Icepaw had never heard of a horse before. Ether Lionsky was making it up or the Clan cats just didn't talk about the horseplace.

"I'll show you." Lionsky said, and she led Icepaw through a particularly big bush and into a clearing. Icepaw was shocked at the size of the space; the training clearing could fit into it and still leave plenty of room!

"Wow." Icepaw started forwards, but Lionsky stopped her.

"Wait, look, smell." The warrior said. Icepaw stopped. She looked, and saw wooden spikes, like small tree trunks, and more wood in-between them. It was the oddest thing Icepaw had ever seen.

"What is that?" She whispered.

"A fence. The twolegs build then to keep things in, and to keep other things out."

"Twolegs…" Icepaw whispered. She had heard of them before.

"Come on, we should go. There's lost more to see." Lionsky said.

"But you said you'd show me horses!" Icepaw objected.

"Some other time, alright?" Icepaw didn't like it, but she went along anyway.

"So, where do we go now?" Icepaw asked.

"Well, you've already seen the Thunderpath," Icepaw shuddered then, she didn't want to go back there anytime soon, and she had a feeling Lionsky didn't ether. "So I guess we'll go to the little village."

"What's the little village?" Icepaw asked.

"Twolegs used to live there," Lionsky said, "they don't anymore though. It's full of old twoleg dens, and they're all breaking down. Sometimes twolegs walk their dog through there, so you have to be carful."

They walked up to a thin path smelling slightly of what Lionsky told Icepaw was twolegs.

"They smell odd, like flowers and trees." Icepaw observed.

"That's because they wear scents to cover their own." Lionsky said with disgust. Icepaw wondered how she knew that.

The twoleg scent was old, so the two cats crossed the path.

"We'll be coming up to the little village soon," Lionsky warned, "so mind that you keep your nose alert." Icepaw nodded.

The thin trail came into view again, and then it thickened into a dirt road. On each side of the road were depleted-looking twoleg nests. "Wow," Icepaw muttered, "this is so weird. Twolegs really lived in these things?" Lionsky nodded. "Could we hunt here?" Icepaw asked as a small bird took off from the roof of a nearby twoleg nest.

"No." Lionsky said, "Our territory ends with the forest. You don't leave it unless you have good reason." Icepaw committed her mentor's instruction to memory, and felt slightly relieved she wouldn't be hunting around the deserted twoleg nests. A sudden flash of black caught Icepaw's eye.

"Lionsky!" She exclaimed, "I saw a cat in the village!"

"What?" Lionsky looked around curiously, "There can't be a cat there, I can't remember any rumours of loners or rouges around here ever. Come on, let's go back to the Camp."

As Lionsky turned away, Icepaw looked closer at the abandoned twoleg nests.

"C'mon, Icepaw!" Lionsky called. Icepaw turned and rushed through the forest in the direction of Lionsky's voice. But as she ran, she felt sure she had seen a glimpse of green cat's eyes in the shadows of the nests.


	9. The Newest Warriors

**_Chapter 9, The newest warriors._**

"Hey, Icepaw." Mosspaw called. He and Skypaw were eating over at the apprentices den. Icepaw waved with her tail, then after grabbing some freshkill for herself, joined them.

"How was your first day of training?" Skypaw asked. Icepaw shrugged.

"We went to all the borders. Have ether of you ever seen a cat in the old village?" She asked. The two toms shook their heads.

"Never." Mosspaw said, looking at Icepaw with interest, "Why, did you?"

"I might have," she mumbled. She was getting less and less sure of herself the more cats who told her there wasn't a cat there.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it." Skypaw said, pulling some meat from his squirrel. "If it _was _a cat, it's probably just a kittypet from the horseplace." Icepaw nodded, and continued to eat. It was nothing to worry about.

The next day, Icepaw woke early again, but not as early as the day before. She waited outside again, and again Mosspaw and Skypaw came to join her.

"What are you gonna be doing today, Skypaw?" Mosspaw asked.

"Aw, probably just some hunting techniques. Snowpelt says I have to work on my bird stalking." Skypaw turned to Mosspaw, "What are you doing?"

"I think Squirreltail said we would be practicing fighting moves." He said, "What about you, Icepaw?"

"I really don't know," she said, "Lionsky didn't tell me."

"To bad." Skypaw said, "I always like to know what we're doing. Well, as much as possible."

Spottedpaw came out right then, and smirked at the three cats.

"Hi, Mosspaw. Skypaw." She had an extra big smirk for the last cat. "Icepaw."

"What, Spottedpaw?" Icepaw hissed.

"Nothing," Spottedpaw said innocently, "just, me and Blackpaw were wondering why you're always talking with two toms, instead of she-cats. It's just kind've odd."

"I don't see what's odd," Icepaw said as Blackpaw came out of the den, "they're the only cats in the den I can get a decent conversation out of."

"Hey," Stormpaw said, coming out of the den and stretching, "What about us?"

"And by 'us' you mean you, me and Rockpaw?" Jaypaw asked, following the stormy grey cat out of the den.

"Yup." Stormpaw said, starting over to the freshkill pile.

"I don't blame you if you include him and Rockpaw in the 'no decent conversation' group of cats." Jaypaw told Icepaw as she followed her friend. Icepaw snickered, returning to her freshkill. Spottedpaw still stood over her, glaring down.

"Well, I just thought it was odd is all." She said in her nosey voice. "I mean, what kind of mouse-brain hangs out with these mouse-brains?" She gestured to Skypaw and Mosspaw. Icepaw stood up, a very snippy answer on the tip of her tongue, but she was inturupted.

"Icepaw," Lionsky called, breaking up a definite fight, "it's time for your training." Icepaw scowled back at Spottedpaw as she left the Camp.

About a week after her first training session, Icepaw was running through the territory, Mosspaw and Skypaw at her heels.

"C'mon, hurry up!" She called back at them, "We'll be late!"

They had finished their training for the day, and were heading back towards the Camp. They had been doing this for the past three days, leaving there mentors far behind.

"Relax, Icepaw!" Skypaw called after her, "We don't even know if the ceremony will be tonight!"

"Never stopped us before, has it?" She yelled over her shoulder, "And besides, I can relax when we have actual room in the den to relax in!"

The three cats burst into the Camp seconds later, and collapsed panting in front of their den. The reason for the hurry was a rumour that had started three days ago, saying that Hawkface, Thornfur and Mouseshadow, (Jaypaw, Rockpaw, and Stormpaw's mentors respectively) had gone to Shinestar, requesting that their apprentices become warriors. If that happened, it would be all the better for the other apprentices. Besides, Icepaw had never seen a cat turn into a warrior, and was looking forward to it.

The three apprentices shared a meal as they waited for Shinestar to call a meeting. Just as they were despairing they would ever have more room in the den, the leader leaped onto the Highrock.

"May all cats old enough to catch there own prey gather at the Highrock for a clam meeting!" The leader called.

"This is it!" Icepaw said excitedly, as she and her friends approached the Highrock.

"I have been reminded, more then once I should add, over the past week that we have a few young apprentices who are more then ready to become warriors. So I would like to call Jaypaw, Rockpaw, and Stormpaw up to the Highrock."

The blue-black she-cat, the rusty orange tom and the grey tabby slowly approached the Highrock, faces exited and solemn at the same time.

Raising her head to the sky, where the first spots of Silverpelt were more then visible, Shinestar said in a clear voice, "I, Shinestar, leader of FangClan, ask my noble ancestors to look down upon these three apprentices. They have trained well to learn the ways of your distinguished code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.

"Jaypaw, Rockpaw, Stormpaw, do you promise to defend the warrior code and protect and preserve this clan, even to the cost of your lives?"

"I do."

"I do."

"I do."

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Jaypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Jaywhiskers. StarClan honours your strength and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FangClan." Shinestar touched Jaywhiskers' head with her muzzle, and Jaywhiskers bowed to lick the leaders shoulder. The ritual repeated itself with the newly named Rocktalon and Stormfang. At the end, they had to sit vigil over the Camp all night. That was the part Icepaw figured she'd have the most trouble with, sitting still all night, not talking, watching over her Clan. But, she reminded herself, if it meant becoming a warrior, she would do it when her time came.

* * *

** A/N: I'm ashamed at myself. So long without an update, and then what is most certainly _not_ my best chapter. I apologize profusely, but in my defense I just got home from a trip, and barely had three hours sleep last night. Plus, I've reached a hump in the story, and I can't think of a good way to continue it. Next chapter will be much better, I promise. **


	10. In Preparation

**A/N: Hey, I'm back! This is my first chapter in what, a year, year and a half? More? Yikes. I'll try to restart regular (ish) updates though, sound good? Oh, and please excuse the cruddieness of the previous chapters, I like to think I've improved since then. But I won't really know unless you guys review, right? :)**

_**Chapter 10: In Preperation**_

A few weeks later, it was the night of the full moon. Icepaw woke up exited for her first ever gathering. She was so exited that she couldn't concentrate on her lesson that day.

"No, Icepaw!" Lionsky scolded, "If you tried hunting like that all the prey in the forest would scamper and no one would catch a thing! Pay attention."

"Sorry, Lionsky." Icepaw muttered, rolling over onto her paws. She had tried to charge at an invisible bird and had somehow ended up on her back. "I'm just exited for tonight!"

"What, the Gathering?"

"Yes the Gathering!" Icepaw popped up onto her feet and started running in circles. "I can't wait! I'll be able to see all the Clan leaders, and the deputies, and cats from all the different clans, and, and, and…"

"Calm down!" Lionsky laughed at the small cat's antics.

Icepaw was still running in circles when Mosspaw and Squirreltail came into the clearing. It was funny to see the apprentice and mentor together, because even young Mosspaw was a little bigger then the tiny warrior. Squirreltail's ears perked up when she saw Icepaw running, as if getting ready to run herself.

"What's going on?" The little warrior asked, stepping from paw to paw.

"Icepaw's just exited for the Gathering." Lionsky explained.

"So am I!" Mosspaw commented.

"Oh yeah, this'll be your first Gathering too, huh Mosspaw?" Lionsky smiled at the apprentice as he nodded enthusiastically. Icepaw stopped her running and looked at him mischievously.

"Well I certainly hope you haven't been giving the elders moss lately, or else you won't be able to come tonight either!" She told him teasingly. He gave her a look.

"Very funny, Icepaw." He said with the same teasing tone, "But just to be safe, maybe you should take over my responsibilities. Sandfoot told me he liked the food you brought him yesterday."

"Hmm," Icepaw thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I think you'll be fine. You seem a lot more capable then last full moon. And that, my friend, means you're just a little less capable then a regular cat."

"Like you're more capable then I am." He scoffed. Icepaw gasped and pretended to be offended.

After some more failed attempts at hunting invisible prey, Lionsky gave up and told Icepaw to go groom herself for the Gathering. Icepaw nodded and raced off towards the camp.

When Icepaw shot through the ferns covering the camp entrance, (accidentally tearing a leaf off of one, which earned her a disapproving look from Hawkface) she found Skypaw and Blackpaw lying by the apprentices den, already grooming themselves, preparing for that night. She guessed that Spottedpaw must have been out with her mentor, otherwise Blackpaw would be with her. Icepaw happily made her way over to her siblings.

"Hey guys, are you exited for the Gathering tonight?" She asked. Then she stopped and thought, of course they were exited! But to her surprise they only shrugged.

"I don't know," Skypaw said, "maybe."

"What?" Icepaw exclaimed as Blackpaw nodded in agreement with Skypaw. "How are you guys not exited?"

"Well we've already been to a Gathering." Blackpaw said. "And it's fun, but it's mostly just listening to the leaders all discuss stuff. Not very exiting when you think about it."

"Yeah, but you get to meet cats from all the different clans! Isn't that exiting?"

"Sure it is, but really, how much is there to discuss with a MarshClan cat?" Blackpaw shrugged.

Icepaw sighed and shook her head as she flopped to the ground. "You've been spending too much time with Spottedpaw, Blackpaw."

Skypaw snorted. "Isn't that right. That cat is so…" He trailed off, not knowing a word strong enough to sum up how much Spottedpaw got on his nerves, but Icepaw knew what he meant anyway. Skypaw was good at that, getting his point across, even without using many words.

"She's not so bad." Blackpaw said in Spottedpaw's defence. Icepaw and Skypaw both shook their heads.

"She's different, Blackpaw." Skypaw said. "She's not the same as she was when she was a kit. She's uppity and rude and absolutely insufferable." He sat on his haunches and started cleaning his belly.

"Skypaw's right, Spottedpaw's changed. I don't know why you hang out with her." Icepaw said.

Blackpaw shuffled her paws nervously. "I know, guys. I'm not mouse-brained, I can tell she's changed. But I think she's just confused. And what would happen if I just left her alone? Then she'd be even more horrid to all of us." She sighed. "I know you two don't like her, but I think she needs a friend right now. She needs someone to help her change again."

Skypaw shook his head. "I don't think so, Blackpaw. I don't think she's going to change again, because if she could she would've already." With that he got up and walked away, leaving the sisters sitting alone.

"What's with him?" Blackpaw wondered aloud.

Icepaw shrugged. "I think he's taken Spottedpaw's whole change personally, like she did it just to betray him or something."

"That's ridiculous." Blackpaw scoffed.

"Yeah. It's not really her fault, either you know." Icepaw said, thinking of something she had observed recently. "Leopardheart…"

"I know!" Blackpaw interrupted Icepaw, a bad habit of hers. "It's totally his influence or whatever on her." They were referring to Leopardheart, Spottedpaw's mentor. He was rude and impolite, especially to apprentices it seemed. Icepaw couldn't help but wonder if Spottedpaw had gotten a different mentor, would she still have changed the way she did?

Blackpaw and Icepaw had been grooming in silence for a while, when Mosspaw and Squirreltail arrived at the camp and came over to the apprentices den.

"Hey girls!" Squirreltail said cheerily. "Exited for tonight?" Blackpaw shrugged, but Icepaw nodded enthusiastically. Squirreltail laughed. "Awesome. See you guys later!" She trotted over to the warriors den, where she was greeted cheerily by Mouseshadow and Lionsky. Squirreltail was just one of those cats who was friends with just about everybody, even the apprentices.

Mosspaw stretched out on the ground by Icepaw and Blackpaw and started grooming. They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, trying to get all the grime and knots out of their fur. When Icepaw and Blackpaw had finished, Mosspaw was still trying to get at a particularly clumped patch in the middle of his back. He couldn't reach it, and Icepaw thought it was very amusing. He stuck his tongue out as far as it would go and craned his neck so far that he ended up on his hind legs, reaching for the clump on his back.

And then, when he was just about to get it, he lost balance and fell over onto his back. Icepaw and Blackpaw laughed.

"You're getting yourself all grimy again!" Icepaw said as he rolled over onto his paws. "Here, hold still." She went over and started working at the patch on his back. It was really knotted up, and she wondered how long it had been since he had cleaned it.

It was then that Spottedpaw arrived at the apprentices den. "Oh, why lookie here!" She exclaimed. "What's this, little brother?" She asked in a very suggestive tone of voice, like she already knew very well what was going on, or thought she did anyway. Icepaw's fur bristled.

"What do you want, Spottedpaw?" Icepaw asked testily. She didn't care what Blackpaw thought right then, she was tired of Spottedpaw's constant attitude, like she was so obviously better then any of them.

"Oh why nothing!" She said, as if offended they would even think such a thing. Icepaw snorted, Spottedpaw was so full of dirt. She ignored Icepaw, sitting on the ground on the other side of Blackpaw and beginning her own grooming regimen.

"So, Icepaw, you nervous about tonight?" She asked haughtily.

"No, why would I be?" Spottedpaw just shrugged.

"Oh well, I just thought you would be, considering you'll have to cross the Thunderpath. You did know you have to cross the Thunderpath, right?" She said, mock concern positively dripping from her voice.

"Of course I do. Everyone knows that. Why would that make me nervous?"

"Well, you know, you had that, um, incident, when you were a kit, so I thought you might be a little… apprehensive."

Icepaw snorted. "I'm not going to be scared of the Thunderpath, Spottedpaw. Monsters are the only thing that make the Thunderpath actually dangerous, and the older cats will make sure that when we cross there won't be any Monsters in sight. Nothing to be nervous about. Are _you _sure you'll be okay, Spottedpaw? You look a little scared yourself."

Spottedpaw seemed to jump a little at that, as if shocked that Icepaw had guessed, but she quickly regained her superior air. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?" She said, then got to her paws and stalked away to groom somewhere else, followed by Blackpaw, loyal as ever. That was possibly, Icepaw thought, her sisters best quality and worst flaw all in one. She sighed and hoped the large black cat was right about her friend.

The day seemed to stretch on forever, and Icepaw constantly found herself staring at shadows cast the dens, the freshkill pile, even other cats, willing them to get longer. But the sun was stubborn and never seemed to move. Icepaw had just about given up on ever seeing a Gathering when Redflower came up to her and said the group of FangClan cats that were leaving for the Gathering were almost ready to go, and was she coming? Icepaw let out a small squeak of excitement and raced to the entrance of the camp. The cats were indeed heading out.

Finally, Icepaw was going to a Gathering!


End file.
